Free food grain for millions of migrant workers: Are they getting any?

UP, Bihar, MP, Odisha, and Jharkhand fare poorly in helping workers returning home after losing their livelihoods in lockdown.

Reports suggest that the government’s ambitious scheme of distributing free foodgrain to migrant workers during the lockdown period has not been effective. According to data released by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, 11 states have distributed less than one per cent of the allocated quantities during the months of May and June. 

States and Union Territories have lifted 80 per cent of the free foodgrains (80 lakh metric tonnes) apportioned to them to distribute to an estimated 8 crore migrant workers over two months. However, according to the government's own data, only 13 per cent of